It’s the fourth time Dr Ridley has secured funding from the Trust, something which has never before been achieved by a University.

“It is a privilege, and fulfilling, to be awarded another Airey Neave Trust project, particularly on such an important subject as terrorism,” said Dr Ridley, who also works in the John Grieve Centre for Policing & Community Safety at London Met.

“It forms a part of the on-going activities of John Grieve Centre and Criminology staff, who combine high academic standards with solid practitioner experience, and in doing so benefit students with unique teaching and specialised research supervision.”

The Airey Neave Trust supports research projects with an emphasis on combating terrorism. It also supports refugees of state terrorism living in the UK by making grants available to them to gain professional qualifications.

The Trust was set up in memory of Airey Neave, the barrister and politician who was assassinated by the INLA in 1979. It seeks to award funding to work which supports Airey’s two great passions in life: Freedom and the Law.

Like many academics at the University, Dr Ridley has extensive career experience that enhances the teaching experience for students. He was an intelligence analyst for London Metropolitan Police for many years, and became an expert in criminal financing and terrorism before joining the University.